“In many ways, 2020 is an extraordinary year and a turning point for the online gaming industry; it is both a year of change and a record year in terms of activity levels,” ANJ said.
Sports betting revenue was up 6.8% to €940m. This came as stakes grew 5.8% to €5.35bn, or €5.49bn when bonuses are included, thanks in part to a 30% growth in active player accounts.
This included €663m staked on events in France, which led to collection of €6.6m for betting rights duties. However, this represented a 23.7% decline from 2019, due to the cancellation of many French sporting events.
Horse racing revenue totalled €354m, up 30.6%, as stakes increased by 32.7% to €1.47bn – the highest level since the market opened and the fastest year-on-year growth. Active accounts grew 4.8% to 628,000, leading to horse racing levies growing 23.4% to €179m.
Poker revenue skyrocketed by 64.0% to €446m, as accounts grew by 53.1% to 1.8 million. Tournaments made up the majority of poker revenue.
Total deposits for the year came to €3.18bn, up 25.4%, and total withdrawals €1.61bn, up 21.6%.
“Over the whole of 2020, the online market shows very vigorous growth,” the regulator said. “The turnover of the sector grew by 22% in 2020 to reach €1.7bn: its highest level in a calendar year since the opening of the sector,” the entity said.
Marketing spend for the year declined by 62.7% to €161m. The majority of marketing spend was on bonuses, with 32% on retention bonuses and 21% on new customer bonuses. Online advertising, including affiliation, made up 16% of marketing spend.
Just under half (47%) of sports bettors bet less than €100, though this group was a smaller proportion of the overall market than in Q4 of 2019. A further 39% of bettors wagered between €100 and €1,000, up slightly.
Source: iGB
